People in the news

Chicago — No punches were thrown. And neither bit off the other’s ear.

Mutual praise and admiration dominated during a face-to-face meeting Friday between former world champion boxers Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield on a live episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

On June 28, 1997, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Tyson was disqualified after biting off part of Holyfield’s right ear during their WBA heavyweight title fight.

A respectful Tyson shook hands with his former rival several times during their encounter Friday — which he said was his first chance to speak at length with Holyfield since the ear chomp that made worldwide headlines.

Tyson told Winfrey earlier that an initial apology after the incident was insincere. But when she asked what he wanted to say to Holyfield, Tyson stopped short of apologizing again. He instead poured on the praise.

“This is a beautiful guy,” he said, holding Holyfield’s arm affectionately for several seconds. “I just want you to know it’s just been a pleasure ... being acquainted with you.”

Lindsay Lohan’s probation extended

Los Angeles — Lindsay Lohan is getting another chance.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel granted a request by the 23-year-old actress to extend her three-year probation another year, but the district attorney warned jail time would be sought if Lohan stumbled again. Lohan was ordered to appear in court Friday after her substance abuse treatment program notified the court she was missing meetings.

Lohan was placed on probation in 2007 after she pleaded guilty to two counts of being under the influence of cocaine and no contest to two counts of drunken driving and one count of reckless driving. Lohan has now escaped further punishment three times after the program notified the court she violated rules. Prior instances were described as misunderstandings.

Lohan’s lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, asked the judge for the probation extension because she said Lohan has been very busy with work and unable to complete the substance abuse treatment program. Holley said Lohan has completed 15 of 26 individual alcohol classes, 13 of 26 group alcohol classes, 13 of 28 self-help sessions and all six education classes.

‘Survivor’ winner Hatch released from jail

Newport, R.I. — “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch schemed his way through challenges to claim $1 million on the first season of the hit CBS reality show nine years ago.

On Friday, he completed a federal sentence for evading taxes on his winnings and faced a new challenge: landing a job in a down economy and paying off what may be hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes nine years after he became one of reality TV’s biggest villains.

Hatch never paid his taxes on his winnings and failed to pay taxes on $327,000 he earned as co-host of a Boston radio show as well as $28,000 in income from rental property. He was convicted and sent to prison in 2006, and the judge tacked on extra prison time to his sentence after finding he had lied on the stand, giving him a 51-month prison term.

TLC network is suing Jon Gosselin

New York — The TLC network has sued Jon Gosselin for allegedly breaching his contract as a star of the hit reality show “Jon & Kate Plus 8.”

The lawsuit, filed Friday in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Md., alleges that Gosselin has failed to meet his obligations as an exclusive employee of the network, while appearing on rival networks’ programs for pay and making unauthorized public disclosures about the show.

Gosselin has starred since 2007 on the weekly “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” a ratings hit for the network that has been rocked in recent months by marital turmoil as Gosselin and his wife, Kate, feuded, then filed for divorce.

Birkhead says he saw Smith take drugs

Los Angeles — The father of Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter testified Friday the ex-Playmate “took more medications than I’ve ever seen anyone take,” and that he complained about it to a doctor now charged with conspiring to provide Smith with controlled substances.

“I was concerned that Anna was taking too many medications,” said photographer Larry Birkhead, who moved in with Smith in 2004 after a romance that began at a Kentucky Derby party.

Birkhead said he raised the drug issue during a visit to Dr. Sandeep Kapoor in mid-2005 about a minor ailment. Kapoor was Smith’s physician at the time.

“What did Dr. Kapoor say?” prosecutor Renee Rose asked.

“He said, ‘I believe we have that under control now,’ and that’s all that he said,” Birkhead replied.